MPs propose to refer Jamil Khir to rights panel
PARLIAMENT Two opposition MPs are proposing to refer Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom to the rights and privileges committee for his conflicting statements to Parliament in recent days.
PARLIAMENT Two opposition MPs are proposing to refer Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom to the rights and privileges committee for his conflicting statements to Parliament in recent days.
Oscar Ling ( left ) (DAP-Sibu) made the proposal yesterday for Jamil Khir’s remarks about Malaysia not being a secular state , while Ng Wei Aik (DAP-Tanjong) made a similar proposal today on Jamil Khir’s statement on hudud in Malaysia.
Ng is unhappy with Jamil Khir for not making clear whether the government's stand on hudud has been endorsed by the cabinet, and said his statement could confuse the House.
Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia said the matter "is not up for discussion today".
Normally, Jamil Khir will be asked to respond to the matter in the House or in the speaker's chambers before the speaker decides whether Jamil Khir should be referred to the said committee.
Oscar raised his grouses with Jamil Khir's statement about Malaysia's status as not being a secular state yesterday, but deputy speaker Ronald Kiandee, who sat at the time, said the minister will be allowed to clarify on the matter.
"You submitted this motion today, I need to look at it and I will let you know (about the decision) tomorrow," Pandikar told Ng today.
MCA: Sack minister, amend constitution
Meanwhile MCA reiterated its call yesterday for Jamil Khir (below) to be dropped from cabinet, this time for disregarding the 2009 cabinet decision on unilateral conversion.
Its youth legal bureau chairperson Eric Choo said that this is to protect the good name of the cabinet, which in 2009 decided that children can only be converted if both parents consent.
Choo said that the word "parent" in Article 12(4) of the federal constitution refers to both parents.
As such, the goverment should be proactive and amend the constitution to state "parents" instead of "parent".
"We should waste no time in resolving this once and for all for the betterment of the nation," he said in a statement.
Until 2002, government translators printed Article 12(4) in the Bahasa Malaysia version to say "ibubapa", which denotes both parents.
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